Water: a Global Crisis
Water, the stuff of life and a basic human right, is at the heart of a daily crisis faced by more than one billion of the world's most vulnerable people—a crisis that threatens life and consigns large segments of humanity to chronic disease, poverty, and insecurity.
Water-related disease is the single largest killer of infants in developing countries—diarrhea alone causes 1.8 million child deaths each year—and access to safe water is the most important factor in the survival of children under the age of five. Nearly half of all people in developing countries are suffering from water-related health problems. The annual number of deaths from water-related diseases is six times greater than the number of deaths from armed violence.
Sufficient clean water is foundational for all other community development. Lack of water and sanitation is an obstacle to education for children across the world, leading to hundreds of millions of lost school days each year. Safe water is necessary for economic growth. In many nations, shortage of water is a cause of violent conflict.
Lack of access to clean water perpetuates cycles of disadvantage which affect millions of people, with illnesses and lost educational opportunities during childhood leading to poverty in adulthood. Follow the links on the right to learn more about specific water issues.
